Mercury case reward stands at $25,000

Metal's appearance at Albany Med's cafeteria continues to be probed

Updated 11:55 pm, Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Albany police released this surveillance photo taken at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Police want to talk to the man as a "person of interest" as part of an investigation into mercury exposure. (Albany Police Department)

ALBANY — Albany Medical Center said it is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading directly to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for planting mercury in the hospital's cafeteria earlier this month.

A surveillance photo taken March 2 inside Albany Med shows a man who does not appear to be a hospital employee, police spokesman James Miller said. Anyone with information about the incident or the man's identity is asked to call 462-8039.

Police have said there is a possibility the toxic metal was intentionally placed in the hospital's food.

The investigation, being aided by State Police and the FBI, began when a hospital employee found a tiny metal ball on her food tray that was tested and found to be mercury, Miller said earlier this month.

The cafeteria was closed as the hospital's hazardous materials team examined the room.

More minuscule balls of mercury were found in food containers and other areas of the cafeteria, Miller said.

Mercury, a heavy, silvery, odorless metal, is commonly used as a gauge in thermometers, but is also used in electrical switches and valves.

The central nervous system is extremely sensitive to mercury. Poisoning can cause brain, lung and kidney damage, skin and eye irritation, memory loss, vomiting and high blood pressure, according to a study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.